10 Things Your Pool Wishes You Knew

It might seem a little inconvenient to leave the pool to go the bathroom but it's way more sanitary. Akchamczuk/Thinkstock

It may seem just too easy to take pee in the pool. It's very convenient, no one will know and the chlorine should kill any germs, right? Actually, urinating in the swimming pool can have a potentially harmful effect on the swimmers.

Along with other organic chemicals introduced by humans to pool water -- sweat, body oils, cosmetics -- urine reacts with sanitizing chemicals to create additional chemical byproducts. These byproducts, although still under study, can include cyanogen chloride and trichloramine, two compounds that can damage the health of humans. Cyanogen chloride can affect the heart, lungs and central nervous system, while trichloramine irritates the skin and mucus membranes [source: Wiant].